Too Much IR or Not Enough IR in a Security Camera Scene

Adam Hayduk August 4, 2015 5:28 AM

Should I use a camera with infrared illumination (IR)?

Can I use the same IR camera at a door as I use to look at a field or parking lot?

What if the IR camera I use is too powerful or not powerful enough?

Adam Hayduk, from our Pittsburgh office, was asked a few questions just like these recently by a client of ours. Adam called Matt Golueke and asked if we could create video with a few different cameras observing the same scene so that we could show the difference between a few cameras with and without infrared illumination. We met up with Steve Pennington, another colleague of ours from the MidChes team, after dark and we tested a few combinations.

While you’re watching the video clips, be sure to look at the foreground as Steve approaches the cameras from a range of 50 feet to as close as five feet. In some combinations Steve is washed out too soon as he approaches the camera. This would be bad for collecting evidence near a door for example.

Likewise pay attention to background. With other camera and IR combinations, the background is very dark whereas with the proper combinations the background is properly illuminated to see the entire scene.

You need to make sure that you’re matching up the proper camera for the proper scene and purpose.

A powerful, long range IR at a door will cause the target to be unrecognizable. Likewise a short range IR camera isn’t going to provide the illumination necessary for properly capturing activity in a field or parking lot.